Score: Hartwick College 11, Elmira College 10 (OT)
Records: Hartwick (5-9, 2-5 Empire 8), Elmira (5-8, 2-5 Empire 8)
Location: Campus Field - Elmira, NY

Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College women's lacrosse team dropped an 11-10 overtime thriller to the visiting Hawks of Hartwick College Monday evening at Campus Field.

With the game tied at 10-all, the Soaring Eagles won the opening draw of the overtime period and looked to capitalize on the ensuing possession. However, a pass from Moorea Spoljaric '16 to Kara Yakel '16 sailed wide of its target and out of bounds down the right wing.

Hartwick successfully cleared the ball down the opposite sideline and into the attacking zone, where Jessie Matt eventually found Megan Young open in the slot. Young faked a spin move to her left, flipped back around to her right and deposited the ball into the lower left corner of the net for the game-winner.

The Soaring Eagles came back from a 5-2 deficit in the first half, receiving unanswered goals from Sarah Hughson '18, Marisa Carr '18, and Spoljaric to tie the game at 5-5. Later down by one, Spoljaric knotted the game at 6-6 before halftime with a free position shot that snuck inside the far post.

Elmira opened the second half with three of the next four goals to take its largest lead of the game, 9-7, with 14:26 remaining. Macy Huntley '19 netted the go-ahead tally, followed by a Yakel free position score to put the Soaring Eagles up by two.

Hartwick's Lauren Rosenberg answered by concluding a 3-0 Hawks run with the tying and go-ahead goals, her fourth and fifth of the game, and the latter coming with 3:30 remaining in regulation. The visitors then found themselves sitting pretty when EC's Kelcey Crawford '18 was sent to the penalty box with a yellow card at the 2:46 mark.

The Purple and Gold successfully killed the two-minute infraction and Crawford made up for the yellow card by stripping Matt inside the final 30 seconds of the second half. Crawford then fired a pass from the midfield stripe down to Kyra McDonald '18 in front of the crease. McDonald collected the ball on the hop, but her shot went wide of the goal. EC retained possession, allowing Yakel to find Spoljaric along the right side of the crease. The senior standout shovel the ball inside the near post with an underhanded shot with a mere three ticks left on the clock, forcing the extra period.

Lost in the chaos of the overtime loss was the fact that Spoljaric, already amidst a banner year after becoming the program's all-time leading goal scorer, reach two more historic milestones. The Saugerties, NY, native established new single-season records for both points (68) and goals (58). She surpassed the previous marks of 65 points and 56 goals, set by Katya Outwater '07 in 2006.

Turning Point
Hartwick can thank the remarkable performance turned in by goalkeeper Carleigh Tarala for the victory on Monday against Elmira. The first-year netminder registered a season-high 16 saves to halt the Hawks' four-game losing skid and secure the overtime "W". Tarala was clutch on free position shots, as 10 of her stops came on EC's free position attempts.

Inside the Box

• Despite the loss, Elmira finished with advantages in shots (36-to-27), ground balls (31-to-27), and draw controls (15-to-7).
• EC attempted a total of 18 free position shots but successfully converted only four into goals.
• An aggressive Elmira defense caused 13 turnovers.
• Spoljaric paced all scorers with a game-high six points on five goals and added one assist. She also won eight draw controls.
• Hayley Baker '19 dished out a game-high three assists.
• Yakel finished with two points on one goal and one assist.
• Crawford was a loose-ball vacuum, securing a game-high nine ground balls.
• Hughson led the EC defense with four caused turnovers.
• Lindsay Wargo '17 earned the starting nod for the Soaring Eagles, but was replaced by Payton Rusin '18 after suffering a lower-body injury in the first half. Rusin's unexpected relief outing was admirable, as the rookie made three saves in 43:37.
• Rosenberg tied Spoljaric with a game-best five goals.
• Matt and Young each scored twice for the Hawks.
• Tarala surrendered 10 goals while making 16 saves in 61:47 of playing time.

News and Notes

• The loss is the second overtime defeat to come at the hands of Hartwick in the last two seasons. The Hawks also prevailed in OT last season by a score of 14-11.
• Spoljaric extended her consecutive game goal-scoring streak to 30 contests with her fourth straight five-goal outing.
• After breaking the program record for career goals, the reigning Empire 8 Conference Player of the Week set new single-season records for points with 68 and goals with 58.
• In her career, Spoljaric has amassed 208 points, leaving her two shy of tying the program record with two games remaining on the 2016 schedule.
• Baker has registered a point in seven consecutive games and tied her season high with three assists.
• Crawford's nine ground balls mark a new single-game best for the second-year defender.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles will compete in their final non-conference game of the 2016 season on Thursday, April 28th, when Elmira hits the road for a 4:00 p.m. contest at Hilbert College.